Michigan

Afflalo showing shooting touch this summer

AP PhotoWith improvements to his shooting, Detroit Pistons guard Arron Afflalo should be doing more than dunking in his second season.

AUBURN HILLS -- As a rookie last season, there were games when Arron Afflalo would come off the bench and play well, only to be followed by nights when he wouldn't get on the court long enough to break a sweat.

He readily admits that it was frustrating to do exactly what the Pistons coaches asked of him, and still not be rewarded with a consistent role.

Rather than grumble about it, he continued to work on his game. He spent countless hours at the Pistons' practice facility refining his shooting touch and worked on displaying more athleticism, two things many thought were weak points to his game.

Afflalo's hard work should pay off this year with what should be a consistent spot in the rotation as the team's backup shooting guard to Richard Hamilton.

"He's going to be our backup two (shooting guard)," said Pistons coach Michael Curry. "We expect him to come in and play consistent minutes each night. He'll be a good contributor for us."

Especially if he can play with the confidence and poise he showed in Detroit's 75-66 win over the Los Angeles Clippers in summer league play on Sunday.

Afflalo led all scorers with 25 points on 8-for-10 shooting from the field.

And most of his baskets were jumpers, which included one at the end of the third quarter that gave Detroit a 62-42 lead.

"It's something that's been inside me for a while," Afflalo said of becoming more aggressive offensively. "I have to continue to work on it, and slowly let it show."

Curry, a Pistons assistant last season, spent a lot of time working with the team's younger players such as Afflalo.

During that time, Curry gained a great appreciation for Afflalo's work ethic.

"You're always glad to see everyone play well," Curry said. "But especially him because you see how hard he works, and puts in the time to improve his game."

Afflalo averaged 3.7 points and shot 41.1 percent from the field during the regular season, but he was better in both of those categories (5.6 points, 42.3 percent shooting) in the 45 games in which he played 10 or more minutes.

The 22-year-old said he wasn't surprised at his up-and-down role last year that included nine starts -- more than any other Pistons rookie.

"All rookies go through it," Afflalo said. "That's what this league is about; being mentally tough and continue to work through that so that at some point in time, you can get that consistency with your production and your time. That's what I'm striving for."

Keeping the spirits up of young players who may not be playing as much as they're accustomed to, can be a challenge.

But it never was an issue with Afflalo.

"He's just a fighter," Curry said. "He just knows to work, so if he's not playing, he's going to work even harder. He's going to come in twice a day ... we have to make him get out of the gym. He's a confident kid. And because of that, even if he's not shooting the ball well, I don't think he plays a lot of bad games."

He certainly hasn't thus far in summer league where the Pistons are 2-0.

"That's what summer league is about, getting better and gaining confidence and getting ready for the regular season," Afflalo said. "A lot of what I went through last year, being put in situations when Rip went down for different scenarios, you have to be ready. I want to be able to fulfill his role even more this year."